This application claims the priority of Application No. 101 40 210.4-22, filed Aug. 16, 2001, in Germany, the disclosure of which is expressly incorporated by reference herein.
The present invention relates to a vehicle having an internal combustion engine and a fuel cell and a method of making a vehicle.
In modern mid-size and large-size vehicles, the internal combustion engine is arranged in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle. Normally, an auxiliaries drive is provided on the face of the engine. Auxiliaries, such as air conditioners, hydraulic pumps, etc. are mounted in the forward area of the engine or laterally and are driven by V-ribbed belts. The transmission may be an automatic multiposition reduction transmission or a manual transmission and is usually arranged in the area between the engine and the rear axle near the engine. Between the engine and the transmission, a hydrodynamic torque converter or a dry friction clutch is arranged. The starter for the internal combustion engine is normally a direct-current motor which, during the start, supplies its torque, after being multiplied by a planetary transmission, an engaging mechanism and a starting ring gear, to the crankshaft of the engine.
In a vehicle with a rear-axle drive, a propeller shaft leads from the transmission output shaft toward the rear to a divider transmission (axle transmission) and, by way of drive shafts, to the two rear wheels. In a vehicle with an all-wheel drive, a divider transmission is arranged behind the transmission, which divider transmission “divides,” with or without multiplication, the drive torque between a propeller shaft to the front axle and another propeller shaft to the rear axle. In this case, a divider transmission for “dividing” the drive torque between the two front wheels is also provided on the front axle.
Because of various advantages, it can be expected that, in the future, vehicles will be equipped with an electromagnetic valve gear as a standard component. A prerequisite is a particularly efficient “device for generating electric energy”. Luxury vehicles, in particular, will be equipped with additional electrical systems in the future. Such systems are frequently summarized by the term “by-wire”. Examples are brake-by-wire system, shift-by-wire systems, steer-by-wire systems, etc. Attempts to provide the required electric energy using a battery and a crankshaft starting generator, which combine the functions of a starter and a generator, result in installation space problems. There is also the problem that an optimal efficiency cannot be reached simultaneously for the starter and generator functions.
Another problem of conventional vehicle concepts is the axle load distribution, because the front axle has to carry the main load of the transmission line. Particularly in the case of luxury vehicles, the transmission lines have a high weight, which is becoming less and less compatible with the requirement of sustainable use of resources.
It is therefore an object of the invention to provide a vehicle with an improved “drive and energy supply concept”.
This object is achieved by the invention described hereinafter and shown in the drawings.
The basic principle of the invention involves a vehicle having an internal combustion engine and a fuel cell for supplying electricity to electric vehicle systems, the fuel cell being thermally “coupled” with the internal combustion engine. Specifically, the waste heat of the internal combustion engine is used to heat the fuel cell, that is, for maintaining the operating temperature of the fuel cell.
There are currently five basic types of fuel cells differentiated on the basis of the used electrolyte:                an alkaline fuel cell        a membrane-type fuel cell        a phosphoric-acid-type fuel cell        a molten-carbonate-type fuel cell        a solid-oxide-type fuel cell.        
The operating temperature of these five basic types differs greatly and, depending on the type, is between 70° C. and 1,000° C.
In conventional vehicles, the waste heat of the internal combustion engine escapes largely unused through the exhaust system into the environment. In the present invention, this heat is utilized for “heating” the fuel cell. The fuel cell is preferably flanged directly to the housing of the internal combustion engine, allowing efficient heat transfer.
According to a further development of the invention, the fuel cell is arranged where the manual or automatic transmission is situated in conventional vehicles. The transmission is placed toward the rear, for example, in front of the rear-axle divider transmission allowing better axle load distribution.
The fuel cell is an auxiliary power unit and supplies electricity to various electric devices, such as an electromagnetic valve gear (EVT), the vehicle wiring, various by-wire systems, the air conditioner, and devices which operate also when the internal combustion engine has stopped.
The hydrogen required for the operation of the fuel cell can be obtained, for example, by means of a fuel reformer from the liquid fuel of the internal combustion engine. The reformate which is formed during “hydrogen separation,” can be used as a “fuel addition” for the internal combustion engine, for example, during the cold start, or, in the case of natural gas engines, in “rich operation” for the reduction of NOx. As an alternative, the reformate can also be fed to the waste gas in front of the catalyst, which permits a waste gas after treatment to reduce nitrogen oxide using hydrogen.
The transmission, arranged near the rear-axle divider transmission, may be a high-speed manual transmission or an infinitely variable speed transmission, such as a fully toroidal drive. The arrangement of the transmission near the rear axle has the advantage that the propeller shaft is only designed for the torque and speed ranges of the engine. The reason for this advantage is that because engine speed is higher and torque is lower, the weight of the propeller shaft is lower. In addition, a “transaxle transmission arrangement” permits placing of the fuel cell near the engine. Particularly, a fully toroidal transmission can be used because it can be operated without a torque converter and has a relatively “slim construction.”
Hydrogen, natural gas, diesel or gasoline can be used as fuel for the internal combustion engine. The engine preferably has an electromagnetic valve gear because it has a number of advantages, such as an almost throttle-free charge cycle, the possibility of a variable cylinder cut-off, the reduction of the cold start drag moment, etc. The electromagnetic valve gear is preferably supplied with current by the fuel cell to obtain a good electric efficiency.
According to a further development of the invention, a connectable electric “accessory drive” is provided. The accessory drive preferably is a “disk-shaped” electric motor, which has a relatively large diameter and a comparatively short length, so that it can be arranged in the forward area of the internal combustion engine.
The accessory drive has various functions. On the one hand, it can be used as a “starter” for the internal combustion engine. On the other hand, it can be connected with the front wheels by way of a “coupling device” or by way of a “freewheel” and drive shafts, and can be used as a connectable front-axle drive. In the coasting operation of the vehicle, the accessory drive operates as a “generator” to recover the braking energy. The electric energy generated in the coasting operation is fed into a vehicle battery. In the “motor operation”, the accessory drive is supplied with current by the fuel cell.
The “accessory drive” can also be switched to a passive mode. In this case, the accessory drive is used only as a passive torque transmission device, the drive torque for the front wheels being generated by the internal combustion engine. This means that a torque can be transmitted from the internal combustion engine by way of the deactivated accessory drive to the front wheels.
Depending on vehicle size, a small transmission can be arranged in front of the front-axle divider transmission, which small transmission converts the torque of the accessory drive into a front-axle torque. The “front-axle transmission line” is preferably designed only for low-load operation, which permits a light and cost-effective construction.
Summarizing, the following advantages are achieved by the invention:                better axle load distribution by the transmission arrangement in the area of the rear axle;        an accessory drive for the front axle which can be easily and cost-effectively implemented;        braking energy recovery by way of the front axle and the accessory drive;        a compact manual transmission with a significantly “increased torque capacity”;        use of an infinitely variable speed transmission, particularly a fully toroidal transmission without a converter clutch;        an optimal arrangement of a fuel cell as an additional power supply unit near the engine to supply power to the vehicle wiring, the electric accessory drive, the auxiliary air conditioner, and electricity consuming devices when the engine has stopped;        reduced cold-start emissions;        shortening of the warm-up phase of the engine;        auxiliary heating for the interior;        optimized heat management;        reduced cost in catalyst technology because a direct addition of fuel into the engine can take place in the warm-up or cold-start phase respectively, as well as an addition into the exhaust system in front of the catalyst;        efficiency-optimized power generation.        
Other objects, advantages and novel features of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description of the invention when considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.
In the following, the invention will be explained in detail by means of an embodiment in connection with the drawing.